Who Topped the NHLPA Player Poll in 2022-23?

The NHLPA unveiled the results of its 2022-23 player poll, taken annually by most NHL players to give fans a rare glimpse into their minds.

The results of the 2022-23 NHLPA Player Poll are in, with a whopping 626 players from across all 32 teams submitting anonymous votes on various topics relating to their sport. 

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was a popular answer once again, with 52.3 percent of the players picking him as the goalie they'd put in the crease for a do-or-die, must-win game, which is actually an improvement on the 37.4 percent share of the vote he won the category with last year. 

On the skater side of things, 59.3 percent of NHLers chose Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid as the player they think would be the most impactful in a must-win game. McDavid also improved on his category-leading total of 42.2 percent from the year prior. Once again, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby finished as the runner-up among his peers. 

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar was crowned the top defender in the game with a 63.9-percent share of the vote, while the New York Rangers' Patrick Kane won the honors of "best stickhandler" with 46.1 percent. 

Sticking with the on-ice component of the survey, McDavid's teammate Leon Draisaitl walked away with the distinction of the NHL's best passer, while Crosby was voted to be the league's most complete player for the second year in a row. Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand repeated as the player others least enjoy playing against but would love to have on their own team. 

Additionally, 21.4 percent of players polled voted Dallas Stars veteran Joe Pavelski as the most dangerous player around the net, 23 percent picked Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov as the league's most underrated player, and 27.9 percent deemed Team Canada legend Marie-Philip Poulin as the female hockey player they'd most want to play alongside. 

For the second year in a row, the Bell Centre in Montreal was voted to have the highest quality ice of any arena across the NHL. 

Moving over to the off-ice section, Vegas unsurprisingly won the honor of the best road city to have an off day, Minnesota Wild netminder Marc-Andre Fleury was voted to be the best locker-room presence in the league, and Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews was deemed to have the best shoe game among all NHLers. 

While the results may be taken in good fun, the NHLPA annual player poll is a fascinating tool for fans, offering a glimpse into the overall mindset of the NHL's extensive cast of players that they might otherwise be unable to see behind closed doors. 

With so many repeat winners this year, it will be interesting to see if any new challengers can disrupt these winning streaks in 2023-24.